Picking the best photo for a dog cartoon
The cartoon you get out is downstream of the photo you put in. The model needs to see your dog clearly to preserve breed and personality, so a few minutes of photo selection saves a lot of regen cycles.
Best photos. Eye-level head-and-shoulders shots with natural daylight, eyes open, mouth slightly open or closed in a neutral expression. The eyes should have a small highlight (a catchlight) — this dramatically improves the cartoon's likeness. Photos shot from the dog's eye level beat top-down phone snaps every time.
Avoid. Extreme angles (top-down or below looking up), motion blur, backlit silhouettes, photos where the dog's face is partially hidden by a toy or hand, and photos taken under harsh midday sun (deep shadow across the face).
Action shots work for some styles. Mid-zoomies, mid-jump, and mid-fetch photos translate well into Anime Shonen and Action Hero styles, which lean into motion blur and dynamic composition. They work less well for sticker and Bluey styles, which prefer calmer subject framing.
Six cartoon styles, compared with breed examples
Pixar 3D shines on fluffy and long-haired breeds (Pomeranian, Samoyed, Great Pyrenees, Golden Retriever) where individually-rendered fur grooming pays off. The slightly-enlarged expressive eyes amplify personality.
90s Disney cel flatters short-haired breeds (Beagle, Boxer, Pit Bull, Greyhound) where flat color reads cleanly. The classic hand-drawn outline gives the cartoon a timeless Lady-and-the-Tramp feel.
Studio Ghibli watercolor works for any breed with a gentle disposition. The soft watercolor washes and dark brown line work give the dog a wistful, slightly melancholy quality — perfect for senior dogs and memorial-adjacent cartoons that aren't quite memorial.
Sticker Vector is purpose-built for printable merch. The bold outline, simplified flat fills, and offset cut line drop straight into Cricut, Sticker Mule, and Redbubble. Works with any breed but reads cleanest with distinctive silhouettes (Bulldog, Dachshund, Corgi).
Bluey-style flat is the right pick for kid-targeted use cases — birthday cards from kids, dog-themed children's book pages, family holiday cards where the dog is positioned alongside cartooned humans. Friendly, soft, never edgy.
